wfn.org | [ENS] Bishops' theology committee publishes draft report on same-gender relationships / UTO study gr

[<mdavies@episcopalchurch.org>]

>Episcopal News Service
>March 24, 2010

Episcopal News Service is available at  http://www.episcopalchurch.org/ens.

>Today's Episcopal News Service includes:

* TOP STORY - Bishops' theology committee publishes draft report on
same-gender relationships
* TOP STORY - UTO study group reorganizes for triennium
* TOP STORY - David Bailey elected as bishop of Navajoland
* TOP STORY - James 'Jay' Magness elected bishop suffragan for federal
ministries
* PEOPLE - Jan Butter is appointed communications director for the
Anglican Communion
* CALENDAR - Upcoming special events and services
* SPIRITUAL REFLECTION - March 28, 2010 - Palm Sunday - Year C
* DAYBOOK - March 25: Today in Scripture, Prayer, History
* EBAR PICK - "Made for Goodness - And Why This Makes All the  Difference"

>_____________________

>TOP STORIES

Bishops' theology committee publishes draft report on same-gender  relationships

>By Mary Frances Schjonberg

[Episcopal News Service] The Episcopal Church's House of Bishops,
concluding its six-day retreat meeting at Camp Allen in Navasota,
Texas, has posted a draft of the long-awaited 95-page report titled
"Same-Sex Relationships in the Life of the Church" on the College of
Bishops' website.

"For a generation and more the Episcopal Church and the wider Anglican
Communion have been engaged in a challenging conversation about sexual
ethics, especially regarding same-sex relationships in the life of the
church," Theology Committee Chair and Alabama Bishop Henry Parsley
wrote in the report's preface. "The hope of this work is that serious
engagement in theological reflection across differences will build new
bridges of understanding."

A notation on the report's table of contents page cautions that the
report "has been edited in several places" following a discussion
among the bishops on March 20. "The responses of several pan-Anglican
and ecumenical theologians will be added to this study in the summer,
along with some further editing, before a final edition is published,"
the note concludes.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_121098_ENG_HTM.htm

>- - - - -

>UTO study group reorganizes for triennium

Group hopes to build on legacy of 'thankful giving'

>By Mary Frances Schjonberg

[Episcopal News Service] Mark Harris, the new chair of the Episcopal
Church's United Thank Offering study group, grew up watching his
grandmother put coins into the UTO blue box she kept on her dining
room table while she said her daily prayers.

It's that legacy of thankful giving that Harris wants to help UTO
build on as the organization that has helped the Episcopal Church
expand its mission for the last 120 years by making grants to
ministries that address human needs faces the 21st century.

"One of the things that everybody agrees with is the UTO has had an
extraordinary impact on the church over the years and that impact is
not something we want to see disappear or dissipate, but as the church
itself changes and finds new ways of working, its relationship to UTO
and UTO's understanding of its own role need to be looked at and
examined," Harris told ENS recently.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_121087_ENG_HTM.htm

>- - - - -

>David Bailey elected as bishop of Navajoland

>By ENS staff

[Episcopal News Service] The Rev. Canon David Bailey of Utah was
elected as bishop of the Navajoland Area Mission March 24 during the
meeting of the House of Bishops at Camp Allen, Texas, pending the
required consents from a majority of the church's diocesan standing
committees and bishops with jurisdiction.

A simple majority of the votes cast by the bishops was necessary for
the election, according to the Episcopal Church's Office of Public
Affairs. Bailey was the only candidate. He received 105 of 106 votes
cast.

Bailey's ordination and consecration is scheduled for Aug. 7;
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori plans to preside.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_121084_ENG_HTM.htm

>- - - - -

James 'Jay' Magness elected bishop suffragan for federal ministries

>By ENS staff

[Episcopal News Service] The Rev. Dr. James "Jay" Magness was elected
the sixth bishop suffragan for federal ministries March 24 during the
meeting of the House of Bishops at Camp Allen, Texas, pending the
required consents from a majority of the church's diocesan standing
committees and bishops with jurisdiction.

Magness, 63, was chosen out of a field of eight nominees. A simple
majority of the votes cast by the bishops was necessary for the
election, according to the Episcopal Church's Office of Public
Affairs. Magness received 64 votes; 54 were required.

He is canon for mission and diocesan administration in the Diocese of
Southern Virginia.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_121081_ENG_HTM.htm

More Top Stories: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/ens

>_____________________

>PEOPLE

Jan Butter is appointed communications director for the Anglican  Communion

[Episcopal News Service] Jan Butter, former head of global advocacy
communications for World Vision's international office, has been
appointed as the Anglican Communion's new director for communications.
He started in his new role on March 22.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81831_121047_ENG_HTM.htm

More People: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81831_ENG_HTM.htm

>_____________________

>CALENDAR

A round-up of upcoming special events, services, concerts and diocesan
conventions taking place throughout the Episcopal Church is available
at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/calendar.htm

>_____________________

>SPIRITUAL REFLECTIONS

>March 28, 2010 - Palm Sunday - Year C

The Liturgy of the Palms: Luke 19:28-40; Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 / The
Liturgy of the Word: Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 31:9-16; Philippians
2:5-11; Luke 22:14-23:56 or Luke 23:1-49

>By the Very Rev. Anthony F.M. Clavier

[Sermons That Work] There's nothing more exciting than a spectacular
parade. Television spectaculars, like the Oscars are something of a
modern equivalent. We watch excitedly as new stars are born and see
them surrounded by the press and adoring followers. We love heroes. We
love following their lives and marvel when they buy big homes and jet
around the world.

Full reflection:

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/sermons_that_work_120228_ENG_HTM.htm

More Spiritual Reflections:  http://www.episcopalchurch.org/82457_ENG_HTM.htm

>_____________________

>DAYBOOK

On March 25, 2010, the church remembers The Annunciation.

* Today in Scripture: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/82457_ENG_HTM.htm

* Today in Prayer: Anglican Cycle of Prayer:

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acp/index.cfm

* Today in History: On March 25, 1980, Robert Runcie was installed as
the 102nd archbishop of Canterbury.

>_____________________

>EBAR PICK

"Made for Goodness - And Why This Makes All the Difference" by Desmond
Tutu and Mpho Tutu, 224 pages, hardcover, c. 2010, $25.99.

[Source: HarperCollins] Over the years the same questions get asked of
Desmond Tutu, the archbishop, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and veteran of
the moral movement that ended apartheid in South Africa: "How can you
be so hopeful after witnessing so much evil?" "Why are you so sure
goodness will triumph in the end?" This book is his answer.

Now, more than any other time in history, our world needs this
message: that we are made for goodness and it is up to us to live up
to our destiny.

We recognize Archbishop Tutu from the headlines as an inspirational
figure who has witnessed some of the world's most sinister moments and
chosen to be an ambassador of reconciliation amid political,
diplomatic, and natural disasters. Now, we get a glimpse into his
personal spirituality -- and a better understanding of the man behind
a lifetime of good works. In this intimate and personal sharing of his
heart, written with his daughter, Episcopal priest Mpho Tutu, Tutu
engages his reader with touching stories from his own life, as well as
grisly memories from his work in the darkest corners of the world.
There, amid the darkness, he calls us to hope, to joy, and to claim
the goodness that we were made for. Tutu invites us to take on the
disciplines of goodness, the practices that are key to finding
fulfillment, meaning, and happiness for our lives.

To order, please visit Episcopal Books and Resources online at
http://www.episcopalbookstore.org, call 800-903-5544, or visit your
local Episcopal bookstore.